Saturday, August 06, 2005

The latest edition of Tar Heel Tavern is up at the Anonymoses blog. It's titled Going to Blogolina in My Mind/A blog tour of North Carolina - - and let me tell you, it's one hell of a summary. Don't miss it! The theme is "automatic penciling" and/or 'tooting' your blog. I've never been a big tooter - Mommy taught me that it wasn't graceful to be a "look-at-me Louie," so you can imagine how freeing this exercise was for a fuddy duddy like me. (..and I hope you don't think my toot was codswallop. Amen.)

In this busy workaday world, you don't have time to read every news story with a fine-tooth comb. You're having trouble trusting the foxes of Cable - those talking heads with the perfect coifs and the shiny Chiclet teeth. You want the Headlines to come to life. Where do you turn? Who do you trust?

Iddybud.

Who will dig into the slop-pile of spin and emerge with the diamond of reality?

Iddybud.

Who does CNN refer to when they want the supreme skinny from the blogs?

Iddybud.

Seen in the LA Times, Greensboro's Yes Weekly, and the Syracuse Post Standard/Syracuse.com, recommended by Sen John Edwards's One America website, a diarist at Daily Kos, bashed by National Review, adopted daughter of Blogsboro and the Tar Heel Tavern keepers of North Carolina, poetry appearing at Billy the Blogging Poet, photography appearing at Hey Jude and Flickr, pin-up at Bloggrrrlz Gallery, award-winning Proud Liberal, one of the Sisterhood of political blogging.

Josh Marshall has gotten a hold of the Who's Who in America with Joseph Wilson's name, along with the name of his wife Valerie. (Thanks for sharing, Josh.) As I said before, the only COVER that the Who's Who was capbable of displaying is its own book cover.

Someone blew Valerie Plame's CIA(NOC) COVER in a Chicago Sun-Times article - and it sure as hell wasn't a BOOK that revealed the CIA cover. Someone told Novak. We don't know who it was - yet. He made a conscious decision to run with the information and blow the lady's cover, no matter WHAT her name was, and no matter how the shuffling and equivocating Novak tries to weasel his way out of the responsibility for the part he played by blaming a book for blowing a CIA cover.

You can't judge a book by its cover - but you CAN judge a journalist who blows CIA covers.

Listen to this - thanks to Atrios I've learned about a Jay Rosen column where Jay explains how, well before the recent swearing-snit and walk-off, Bob Novak probably knew he was "about to be faced with a gigantic contradiction in his public stance, and the CNN Network wanted it." Jay points to a prior Ed Henry/Bob Novak exchange. As I said before, why on earth would any of us WANT to see him as a pundit on any CNN show (or any political news show) when HE will not and cannot talk about the hottest subject matter? (And while he sits there looking like the cat reptile who swallowed the canary -as if he's onto something to which the interviewer will never become privy because of Novak's own manipulation-dance.) Jay offers a quote by the experienced journalist Joe Gandelman of the Moderate Voice,

“Is walking off the set a big deal? It’s only the most unprofessional thing a newsperson or actor can do.”

"At the time I thought it was like a 2.5 [on the scale on pundit show smackdowns]. But when I heard it again later, I thought, no, it's more like a 1.5."

- James Carville, talking to Josh Marshall about Carville's comments, which some believe may have been the cause for Bob Novak's snit and walk-off on CNN's 'Inside Politics' earlier this week. Others say it was the edition of "Who's Who" in America which caused Novak's fight or flight response.

James Carville spoke to Josh Marshall about Bob Novak. Here is what he said.. [TPM Cafe]

One of my favorite authors, Annie Lamott, thinks Novak knew his days with CNN were numbered.

Gen. Wesley Clark will be guest-blogging at the TPM Cafe from August 29th to September 2nd.

Michelle Malkin reports that New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has launched an investigation into the $875,000 loan from Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club to Air America. Spitzer's inquiry is focusing on the conduct of Gloria Wise's board of directors. "The question is: Was their action appropriate?," Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp told the Post. My personal comment: I trust Attorney General Spitzer and am confident he will get to the truth of the matter. I couldn't imagine he'd let a situation like this go on, in the court of public opinion, without his involvement.

I deeply appreciate the showcase at Billy the Blogging Poet's website. The people of Greensboro, NC (aka Blogsboro) have come to be just like family to me. You'll never meet a more welcoming, diverse, and genuinely interesting group of people as you'll meet in Blogsboro.

"Bloggers themselves are starting to recognize the value of a segment dedicated to their collective voice."

- Jacki Schechner

CNN's Abbi and Jacki Interviewed by CJR

Abbi Tatton and Jacki Schechner, the lovely ladies of CNN's "Inside the Blogs" (which is a part of the CNN show "Inside Politics" - soon to be "The Situation Room") are interviewed at CJR. According to Jacki, they plan to expand their Blogging segment "to include politics, international and domestic security, which will give us the opportunity to access more news of the day and report on what's happening on the blogs and beyond. The blog segment will appear regularly on "The Situation Room," anchored by Wolf Blitzer, beginning next week."

Jude Says..

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About Me

Iddybud is a descendant of American patriots, membership to DAR pending, a descendant of a family member who lost another dubious American Presidential election in 1876, so you might understand why she took Selection 2000 to heart.

desiderata - by max ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann c.1920